School shootings are top of mind for parents, students and teachers these days. They no longer just need to be prepared for inclement weather (remember those tornado drills?). Today’s kids and educators must to be ready to go into lockdown in the event of an active school shooting.

And it’s a cause for major concern.

While no one can predict a school shooting, there is some data that can provide insight into a school district’s overall safety. Niche, a popular schools-and-neighborhoods data website, attempted to provide such a gauge.

The site took a closer look at stats from the U.S. Department of Education, along with information regarding student absenteeism, in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, law enforcement referrals and school-related arrests.

Each school’s data was weighed.

- Advertisement -

A disclaimer worth nothing: Even when all this data is considered, that doesn’t mean a school with higher rates of these issues will inevitably – or is even more likely to – experience a gun violence situation. It can, however, be a partial indicator of overall school safety, which was Niche’s goal in assembling its list.

The verdict? In Michigan, 359 school districts ranked among the safest public school districts. (For reference, at the time this study came out, there were about 895 total traditional public school districts in the state and about 300 charter schools, which are also considered public schools.)

A swath of these safe schools are in Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties, including the metro Detroit and greater Ann Arbor regions.

It’s also worth noting that other districts – including local ones that don’t appear on our consolidated list here – might also have strong safety suits. They simply did not appear within the “top 359” assembled by Niche.

Scroll down to see which districts and charters made the cut in 2019. Schools are listed in alphabetical order by county. Click on the school name to learn more about the district’s specific data from Niche.